This grant application is submitted to request support from NIH for the 2007 Joint Conference of the Cell[unreadable] Transplant Society (CTS), International Pancreas and Islet Transplant Association (IPITA), and International[unreadable] Xenotransplantation Association (IXA). This first joint meeting of 3 sections of The Transplantation Society[unreadable] (TTS) will take place in Minneapolis, MN from September 15-20, 2007 (www.cts-ipita-ixa-007.org).[unreadable] [unreadable] The 2007 Joint Conference will be the major event of the TTS and of the transplant research community in[unreadable] 2007. It will be the premier event in the areas of pancreas, islet, cell, and xenotransplantation in a 2-year time[unreadable] span. The meeting will be timely and important in light of the increasing transplant activity, major[unreadable] developments, and unprecedented progress and opportunities in these four areas:[unreadable] ? Pancreas: Close to 2,000 transplants annually, including 1,250 simultaneous pancreas-kidney transplants.[unreadable] ? Islets: 42 islet transplant programs in North America; major increase in activity expected after completion[unreadable] of 2 Phase III licensure trials (funded by the NIH Clinical Islet Transplant Consortium) in patients with and[unreadable] w/o previous kidney transplants. More than 20 active programs in Europe, Australia, and Asia.[unreadable] ? Cell Transplantation: Emerging opportunities for cellular therapeutics (e.g., liver, islet, neural tissue and[unreadable] heart replacement and bridging; regeneration and growth factors, cellular immunotherapeutics).[unreadable] ? Xenotransplantation: Immense increase in pig-to-nonhuman primate heart, kidney, and islet[unreadable] xenotransplant survival in past 2 years (e.g., four publications in Nature Medicine).[unreadable] [unreadable] An excellent scientific program has been developed under the leadership of Megan Sykes, MD, Scientific[unreadable] Program Chair. More than 100 internationally renowned speakers will present progress and emerging[unreadable] opportunities in allotransplantation and xenotransplantation of cells and organs for the treatment of a variety of[unreadable] disorders. The program will include Plenary Sessions, Symposia, Workshops, Oral Abstract Sessions, and[unreadable] Poster Sessions. This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and[unreadable] Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the sponsorship of[unreadable] TTS.[unreadable] [unreadable] The 2007 Joint Conference is expected to be attended by more than 1,000 delegates and will therefore afford[unreadable] attending clinical investigators and basic scientists an excellent opportunity to present and discuss latest[unreadable] research findings. It will present also the first opportunity for scientists working in these related areas to meet[unreadable] and interact and benefit from their complementary expertise and experience.[unreadable] [unreadable] The R13 grant will be a key element in our objective of providing an international forum of the highest scientific[unreadable] merit that will result in increased utilization of transplantation for the treatment of diabetes, heart failure, liver[unreadable] diseases, muscular dystrophies, neurodegenerative disorders, and other indications.